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People reject the gospel of Christ because of their unbelief and hardened heart. In this sermon on Acts 4:8–10 titled “The Tragedy of Unbelief,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that this is the universal problem. Sinful people have always rejected the message of the gospel and those that bring the message, as was the case with the apostles. They were persecuted, some to death, and they suffered because they refused to be silent. This persecution and rejection of the gospel has been present throughout church history. Lloyd-Jones says that the tragedy of this rejection of the gospel is that when people reject the gospel, they lose any hope of salvation. Apart from the gospel that is persecuted and hated, no one can be saved. There is no peace, hope, or joy without the redeeming power of the gospel of God. Ancient and modern humanity are no different for their foolish and blind unbelief. Apart from the light of God’s grace in Christ, both are lost and live in darkness. The root of this is sin, but in their darkest sorrows, people reject the only hope that the world has ever known. This rejection of the message of salvation is the great tragedy of unbelief and the very remedy to the world’s greatest problems is what the world despises the most.
When the apostles met the risen Christ, they were transformed and empowered with boldness to proclaim the gospel to all that they could. Before the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, they were fearful and timid but after they were fearless in their mission. In this sermon titled “Saved to Serve,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains this change enabled them to stand against the Jewish leaders when they refused to cease preaching the gospel of the risen Christ. This is no ordinary boldness, but it is a result of the new nature that is brought about by salvation and regeneration. As the gospel transforms Christians, they are given the Holy Spirit and filled with its wisdom and guidance. The apostles in Acts could not stop preaching the glory of Christ. They were no longer the weak and fearful men who were hiding in the upper room. They had received the new life that the gospel brings and they fearlessly proclaimed the gospel message. Christians have a new source of life and wisdom when they are made anew in Christ. They are motivated to bring the gospel to this broken and sinful world. It is this hope in the new life in Christ that compels Christians to share the gospel with all to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ.
According to the apostle Paul, why are the Jewish people permitted to stumble? In this sermon on Romans 11:11–12 titled “Riches of the Gentiles,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes up this difficult question. He says that ultimately God allowed the Jewish people to stumble and reject the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that the gospel might go to all the nations. Because they rejected the gospel, the early church spread the gospel from the land of Israel and it went to the whole world. At the same time, Paul himself was Jewish by birth and a believer of Christ. This shows that not all Jews rejected Jesus. What of the future of the Jewish people? Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that in the future there will be a great revival among the nation of Israel and many will come to a true knowledge of Jesus and His gospel. They will put their faith in their long-awaited Messiah. The apostle Paul argues that just as it was a blessing to the Gentiles that Israel stumbled over the gospel, it will be an even greater blessing when the people of Israel believe and come into the church of Jesus Christ.
Christianity is not based on human power or wisdom. It is not the result of clever and prudent people, but it is the result of the gospel of God. In this sermon on Acts 4:13, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. All are in need of Jesus Christ. There are no prerequisites to being saved but to believe in the name of Christ. In the gospel, God subverts the ways of the world as the world is about power and pomp, vain glory and empty praise. But the gospel is about Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, hung on a tree so that all those who believe would become a part of the new creation. This message humbles everyone because it leaves no place for boasting, human pride, or hubris. It tells that all are sinful and under the judgment of God. It says that all are slaves to sin and their twisted desires. But through the gospel there is true renewal and life by the blood of Christ. The church should take great comfort knowing that it proclaims the truth and power of God in His gospel.
For whom is the gospel? Does the Christian gospel seem more palatable for a suburban context? It might seem that a learned man like the apostle Paul would feel more comfortable preaching to philosophers, stoics, and epicureans rather than the common men and women of the city. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates in his message on Romans 1:14 titled “The Whole Counsel of God,” this could not be further from the truth. Show Paul a soul – whether that soul be wise or unwise, Greek or Barbarian, rich or poor, slave or free – and he would preach the gospel to them with great profundity and fullness. In this challenging message, Dr. Lloyd-Jones holds up Paul as an example of what it means to be a gospel Christian. The Christian cannot forget that, like Paul, they are under obligation to all humanity. There is a universal need of all nations and all people to hear the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provocatively says that if preachers today cannot preach to everybody, they should not preach to anybody. Gospel preachers must develop an ability to preach to a range of people otherwise they will give the impression that the gospel is only for a certain type of person. Humbly listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones dispels false ministry methods and calls Christians to once again impart the whole counsel of God to the whole world.
In this passage from Ephesians 5:14, Paul is calling Christians to awaken from their sleep and to let Christ give His light. What does this mean? In this sermon on Ephesians 5:14 titled “ From Darkness to Light,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches this beautiful reminder of what the gospel does and the power it possesses. This passage is a summary of the gospel and of what the gospel does in the lives of those it changes. It illuminates and brings light. Additionally, it also summarizes what Christians are to do— they are to shine as the light of the gospel. According to Scripture, unbelievers are asleep and dead to the truth about them; they will spend eternity in Hell if they do not repent of their sins and believe in Jesus. The gospel convicts people of their need for a Savior, and it also converts people, waking them up and saving them. Finally, it also enlightens them so that they follow the Lord. Those who have been saved are called to be a light in the dark world so that the power of the gospel can shine through them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds the listener of the responsibility they have in following the Lord and representing Him to the world.
What Paul preached determined how he preached it: the nature of the gospel in the glory of God provides the power. Look at the biggest problem confronting humanity today in considering how Christ was treated on earth: why is the Son of God rejected? In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the vital urgency of proclaiming the message of the gospel and the various groups who have rejected Christ as the Messiah over the years. Both an able person and a fool are ignorant of the gospel and reject God. There is no new knowledge. “The gospel is revelation; it is not man’s straining to try and discover.” The world cannot know God by seeking; He must reveal Himself. If the God of this world has blinded people, the gospel is hid from the unbeliever. The gospel alone explains the state of this imperfect world today. Unbelief is always a result of prejudice, and a refusal to face the facts. Do not boast in ignorance and glory in shame. It is never clever to reject this message. There will be eternal punishment without relief. Be amazed by His glory — God in the flesh. Turn to the Lord, He alone gives sight.
There is a great problem of communication and this sermon focuses on how the state of both the church and the world demands that all pay attention to the presentation of the gospel. This gospel is the only hope for the world and the answer for every need. In this sermon on 1 Thessalonians 1:5 titled “Not in Word Only,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this same problem that people have faced for centuries. He preaches of the proposals for new translations, how the gospel spread, and what the true Christian message is. There is no need for something new. People need the same old gospel and old apostolic way of preaching that is found in the New Testament. What is Christianity? Can it be defined? The gospel is the proclamation of the greatest good news humanity has ever heard. Is Christianity something that is caught or taught? Apostolic preaching never started with people, but with God. There is great need for people to see their need for Jesus in order to come to Him. Jesus did not merely come to tell how people could be delivered, but He came to be the one to deliver them. Christians cannot entertain people in flippancy. God will judge both message and method. Preach and receive this gospel with assurance.
In this sermon on Ephesians 4:5 titled “One Faith,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that the unifying faith of Christianity is not unity of doctrine, first and foremost, but it is a unity of faith in Christ. This is the faith that justifies all who are truly Christians. It is seen in the saving work of Christ and the application of that work to the hearts and minds of believers by the Holy Spirit. For this reason, the great doctrine of justification by faith alone is at the very heart of the gospel and Christianity. It is this doctrine that the Reformers fought for, and it is this doctrine that is essential to any true understanding of the gospel. This is why it is so vital that the church today guard against all heresies that would add anything to the gospel. For anyone who tries to add anything to faith detracts from God’s glory as the only Savior and hope for fallen humanity. It detracts from the work of Christ on the cross to say that fallen people must do something in addition to the gospel. To reject justification by faith is to reject the saving gospel and to reject true Christianity as found in God’s Word.
How does the message of the gospel come to men and women? How do they move from hearing the words to believing them? In this sermon on Acts 4:29-33 titled “The Work of the Holy Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches about the wonderful work of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the preaching of the gospel. In his sermon, he focuses specifically on the work of the Holy Spirit as the one enabling and empowering the preachers who proclaim and the listeners who respond. This is a special work of the Spirit to accomplish this and it helps the believer understand why there are those who hear the gospel but are merely convicted as opposed to those who are convicted and convinced of the gospel. It is a peculiar function of the Holy Spirit to utilize the Word of truth to convince the listener of righteousness and judgment. Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges the believer to proclaim the gospel with great boldness to convict while also praying for the Spirit to convince the listener.
What is at the center of Jesus’s message? What is at the heart of all the parables and teachings of Jesus? In this sermon on wineskins from Matthew 9:16–17, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches that it is not the external ritualistic religion found in many churches today, nor is it the message of works righteousness. But at the heart of the message of Jesus is the truth that the gospel is the power of God to save. It is the truth that Jesus is the Messiah who came to die for sinners. By the working of the Holy Spirit, sinners can repent and believe in Jesus. They can be set free from sin and the wrath of God because of the gospel. The very presence of the gospel transforms people and confronts sin; it destroys the old life and breathes new life in Christ. What does this message mean for each and every person? The gospel is a call to believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. It is a call to experience the new life in Christ free from sin and evil. The gospel calls all to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus.
Did the apostle Paul really claim that the gospel had been proclaimed throughout the world? What could he have meant by such a statement? What about the Jews and how can he claim that the majority of Jews have not obeyed the gospel? Did most of them hear the gospel preached? Some would protest and think that Paul was obviously mistaken. In this sermon on Romans 10:18–21 titled “The Case of the Jews,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones looks at the connection between the Old Testament anticipation of the coming Messiah and the large-scale rejection of Jesus Christ by the Jews and also during Paul’s day. By interpreting Scripture with Scripture, Dr. Lloyd-Jones demonstrates how the Jewish people should have known about the suffering Messiah from their own Scriptures. The New Testament often assumes the clarity of the gospel in the Old Testament and yet there is a blindness to the clear teaching. The gospel from the apostle Paul was not a message that should be hidden from the masses. There was no hint of a “mystery religion” where only a select few knew the right details in order to be “initiated.” Dr. Lloyd-Jones contends that God was taking the gospel message through appointed apostles, prophets and preachers so that it would be heard by everyone, everywhere.
In this sermon on John 3:17 titled “Man and His Need of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches how the Bible not only tells what the gospel is, but it also tells why the gospel is needed. Often times people jump straight to the message of the gospel without looking at why people need the gospel. God’s word is clear on why Jesus had to come and Scripture tells that humankind loves darkness rather than light, and for this reason the whole world already lies under the judgment of God. But the light of the gospel pierces even the darkest cloud because it tells that despite humanity’s sin, rebellion, and evil, God sent His Son into the world. God so loved the world that He came and died in the place of sinners and rose from the dead so that they might have new life. God has overcome the power of sin and the devil so that all who believe in Jesus are not only restored to their original state of righteousness, but they are made even higher. This sermon calls all to believe in Jesus, repent of sins, and trust Him in order to become children of God, pure and holy. This gospel is truly good news.
What is the church and who are Christians? According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, to know what the church is and understand its mission, he recommends looking to the church in Acts 2:40–42. There the church is a community of born again, spirit-empowered believers who boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to a broken and sinful world. The church committed itself to the teaching and preaching of the apostles’ doctrine and the fellowship. The church of Acts was far more than a social gathering, but it was the power of God, manifested on earth through the work of His Spirit. The early church did not grow by attracting people by appealing to humanity’s carnal desire, but though the power of the gospel. It is this gospel that the church is tasked with guarding and proclaiming. It is this glorious gospel that can transform the lives of those around us. If the church today and beyond is to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, and if the church is to be a faithful steward of His gospel, it must commit itself to the teaching and works of the apostles as found in God’s word.
If the Christian feels like they are standing alone in opposing the world, they should be encouraged that they are not alone in this thought. In this sermon on Acts 2:41-47 titled “A New Reformation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims how the apostles confronted the ancient world with the gospel of Christ. They sought to confront the deepest ills of humanity through the power of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. The early church did this as a community of believers who had true fellowship in the gospel. This fellowship was more than simple friendship; it was a deep communion based on the new life in Christ. This love of one another is one of the marks of the true Christian; it is this love of fellow believers that makes the church distinct from all other institutions. The church of Christ is a Spirit-filled community of believers who love one another and Christ because of God’s great work of redemption. The early church in Acts lived out this salvation by loving one another and proclaiming the gospel to the whole world. The church of today must not stray away from the great truth of who the church is and of the glorious gospel with which they have been entrusted. Only the church has been entrusted with the truth of God’s gospel, and only the church can confront the fallen world with the good news of who they can be in Christ Jesus.
Since the inception of the church, Christianity has battled the false belief of justification by works. In its modern Western form, many wrongly understand the gospel to mean going to church, doing good, or being a “nice” person. In this sermon on Romans 10:1–3 titled “Submit to God’s Righteousness,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that the current Christian culture continues to preach self-righteousness, self-reliance, and self-dependence. In its primitive form, the apostle Paul holds up the Pharisees as the prime example of those who are zealous for doing good works and yet are ignorant of what God’s righteousness requires in the gospel. Their lack of knowledge has set them against the God they claim to serve. They would rather construct their own righteousness than submit to the righteousness of God found in the gospel of Christ. The Pharisees, and many today as well, are trapped in believing they can save themselves. The problem, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is that the last people to believe the gospel and be saved are always those who think that they can save themselves. What is needed is the gospel of grace. What needs to be known and heard is the truth of what the Scriptures say God’s righteousness requires. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones speaks of the tendency towards justification by works and the remedy, submitting to the gospel of grace.
In this sermon on Acts 24:24 titled “Righteousness: Temperance and Judgment to Come, “ Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on two questions: how is the gospel to be presented and how are people to listen to the gospel? The gospel is reason, and people must think and be confronted with the truth. This gospel is not merely entertainment. Learn about the character of God and how He created people to be His righteous companions. What happened? Made in the image and likeness of God, people are to have self-control and temperance. The meaning of temperance is addressed alongside righteousness—one being the general principle, while the other is concerned with application in daily living. What distinguishes humans from animals? Animals are controlled by instinct, but people have souls with reasoning and understanding. Judgment will come and people will be held responsible before God, but they can look at the perfect provision He provided. Only a person’s fear can drive them to salvation. Why do people reject the gospel? The opinion of others must never be put over the opinion of God. Learn from the tragedy of Felix and Priscilla.
The great message of Christianity is that Christians are not only saved from their sin and made right before a holy God, but they are made new creatures as the first fruits of the new creation in Christ. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:3–5 titled “Distinct Roles of Church and State,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates how Scripture undercuts all doctrines of antinomianism, because by the power of the Holy Spirit all who are true believers are renewed and transformed daily through God’s grace. For it is the gospel that truly transforms fallen men and women; it alone can overcome the depravity of fallen human nature and make them new in Christ. This is why all attempts to make people moral without the gospel fail to address the deepest need of humanity. When the church becomes more concerned with moralism than the gospel, it loses the focus of its mission. This has often happened throughout the history of the church, and today many are repeating this error. The remedy to this is to see the distinction between the church and the state. It is the church that has been given the gospel and it is the state that is to rule and bring justice. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones powerfully proclaims, the church must never stray away from its main goal in proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace.
Why does the church seem to be so ineffective? In the sermon “The Wrath of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the church is ineffective because it has departed from the apostolic example seen in Acts 8:5–12. He says that the apostles boldly proclaimed the gospel of Christ to all. They spoke of Christ’s death and resurrection and of His spirit-empowered ministry. They never shied away from the hard truth of God’s wrath and humanity’s sin but preached the gospel as the only way to escape the wrath of God and be redeemed. It is this message on which the early church was founded. They did not shrink from declaring the gospel to all, both Jew and Gentile. If the church is to be a light in a dark world, it must look to the gospel of Jesus Christ as the basis for the transformation and redemption of the whole world. The church has been given no other message; it has no other power than the Spirit of God working through the proclamation of the gospel in the hearts of fallen men and women. The modern church must look like the apostles and the early church in order to imitate them. The church does not need anything new to engage the world; all that it needs has been given in God’s word.
One must ask themselves if they are wise by worldly standards and if they understand life’s fundamental issues. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:18–20 titled “The Wisdom of the World,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses worldly wisdom in light of Paul’s words to the Corinthians. The world has rejected the gospel for centuries, and its rejection of the gospel is nothing new. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a complete contrast to what humans think of themselves by nature. Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that humanity always seeks to advance itself and improve itself. The gospel, in contrast, knows that humankind needs rebirth, and this must be done by the Spirit. The gospel cannot be changed or modified, since it is perfect and complete in every way. The fundamental problem with humankind’s solutions, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches, is that humankind’s solutions originate in the human mind. God’s solution transcends human reason and offers the only hope for humanity’s salvation. Dr. Lloyd-Jones mentions that H.G. Wells, a popular author and philosopher, had his own philosophical solutions, but still was devastated by the reality of World War II, and extremely destitute at the end of his life. A person can only be made wise after admitting they are a fool.
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